Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not.
Both are equally terrifying.

— Arthur C. Clarke

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Updated: 5 hours 58 min ago

Screwworm could be the first species targeted by an 'extinction drive'

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 2:19pm
We have developed genetic technologies that could wipe out entire species of pests that are harmful to us. Columnist Michael Le Page says the flesh-eating screwworm is the most likely first target
Categories: Astronomy

Inside Brazil’s vast network of lifesaving free milk banks

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 2:00pm
These images from photographer Kristin Bethge document Brazil's milk bank system, which provides some of the world's cheapest and safest donated milk to hundreds of thousands of babies
Categories: Astronomy

Neuroscience can't tell us the way to govern people's brains

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 2:00pm
From the age of legal adulthood to the concept of "profound autism", policy-makers are turning to neuroscience to help shape laws and policies, but the science simply isn't ready
Categories: Astronomy

The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far – plus 6 other great reads

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 2:00pm
Sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson rounds up her favourite reads of the year to date – and highlights one particular book as her top pick
Categories: Astronomy

Hold the onions – and see if they make you cry

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 2:00pm
Feedback isn't sure what to make of a ground-breaking piece of research into the understudied topic of "subjective individual variability in onion tearing and its relationship to chemosensory sensitivity"
Categories: Astronomy

The 17 best popular science books of 2026 so far

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 2:00pm
The first six months of the year have brought us popular science reads on everything from consciousness to cosmology. Liz Else rounds up her favourites
Categories: Astronomy

All known Homo naledi skeletons seem to be female

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 12:00pm
An analysis of tooth proteins suggests all 23 Homo naledi individuals found in the Rising Star cave in South Africa were female, which strengthens the case that they were placed there deliberately
Categories: Astronomy

The lunar botanist with a plan to farm vegetables on the moon

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 12:00pm
Jessica Atkin knows more than anyone else about what it would take to supply food for a moon base. She reveals how to build a lunar farm and what astronauts can expect to dine on
Categories: Astronomy

Some of the last Neanderthals were surprisingly genetically diverse

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 12:00pm
Genetic analysis of Neanderthals in north-western Europe reveals that this population was surprisingly genetically diverse, hinting that inbreeding didn’t lead to the species' demise
Categories: Astronomy

Fluctuating oestrogen levels may alter how drugs enter women's brains

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 10:00am
Oestrogen levels fluctuate throughout a woman's menstrual cycle, which may impact how efficiently a drug that targets the brain can reach its destination
Categories: Astronomy

Hidden black hole could explain mystery at the heart of our galaxy

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 7:00am
The area surrounding our galaxy’s central supermassive black hole contains three strangely different populations of stars – but one hidden black hole could explain all of them
Categories: Astronomy

Huge crater in Australia may be the oldest impact structure on Earth

Tue, 06/23/2026 - 7:00pm
A study claims that the North Pole Dome crater in Western Australia was caused by an asteroid strike 3 billion years ago, but other researchers dispute the proposed age
Categories: Astronomy

You should turn off fans when it's too hot – but how hot is too hot?

Tue, 06/23/2026 - 1:50pm
Fans can make you hotter rather than cooler, but the temperature at which you should turn them off depends on several factors, including your age and the humidity level
Categories: Astronomy

Elite Maya people had teeth placed in a cave far from their tombs

Tue, 06/23/2026 - 1:00pm
A cave in Belize contains teeth from dozens of important Maya people buried elsewhere, which may attest to a ritual intended to ensure their passage to the underworld
Categories: Astronomy

Parenting may permanently improve brain health for mums and dads

Tue, 06/23/2026 - 1:00pm
Raising children appears to keep the brain young, potentially acting as a buffer against cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s
Categories: Astronomy

SpaceX's secretive plans to deliver cargo to Earth from space

Tue, 06/23/2026 - 12:37pm
Not much is known about Starfall, SpaceX's new delivery system, but an assessment published in May revealed its intended purpose
Categories: Astronomy

How some people's brains make an extraordinary recovery from stroke

Tue, 06/23/2026 - 10:00am
Around a third of people are able to almost fully rebuild their brains after a stroke and uncovering why is pointing the way to better treatments for everyone
Categories: Astronomy

Unapproved gene therapy for boosting longevity is set to go on sale

Tue, 06/23/2026 - 8:14am
A gene therapy that instructs cells to produce more of an anti-ageing protein called klotho is about to be offered by a US company at overseas clinics to bypass FDA rules
Categories: Astronomy

Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin

Mon, 06/22/2026 - 2:00pm
A woman with severe Alzheimer's disease who hadn't spoken more than monosyllables in years began initiating conversation after a single dose of psilocybin
Categories: Astronomy

New-to-science spider builds trap that flings ants into the air

Mon, 06/22/2026 - 12:00pm
A spider living in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia, builds a snare trap reminiscent of a Roman-era ballista weapon that it uses to catapult green tree ants into a web 30 centimetres above
Categories: Astronomy